COVID19 Pandemic Impact- Residency Requirements

I am a permanent resident since landing on 28 October 2015. I have stayed and accumulated 599 residency days in Canada. Still short of 131 days to meet/ maintain the residency days requirement for PR.

I have purchased a one way flight ticket in Malaysia to return to Canada on 28 March 2020 but was cancelled because of a travel ban on 18 March 2020 by Malaysia on all outbound and inbound flights because of the worldwide COVID 19 pandemic. The said travel ban is still in force.

As a consequence of this worldwide COVID 19 pandemic, international flights of all countries are either suspended or cancelled in an effort to contain the pandemic.Due to the said Malaysia travel ban, uncertainties of international connecting flights availability and safety for travel, it appears that I will be unable to return to Canada by 15 June 2020 in order to fulfill the required balance of 131 residency days requirements.

I need advice as to which Canadian agency / department together with the right email address to appeal to, for a fair and reasonable extension of time in order to meet the required 131 residency days as I wish to maintain my PR status.

It is best that you contact IRCC using their web form to make a case-specific enquiry. It usually takes 2-5 days for IRCC to respond, however wait times for a response may be longer due to the COVID-19 situation.

If you’re travelling by air, you need to pass a health check conducted by airlines before you’re allowed to board your flight. Anyone who shows symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to enter Canada by air.

When you arrive in Canada, we’ll assess your health before you leave the port of entry. You must have a plan to quarantine for 14 days when you arrive in Canada. This is mandatory, even if you have no symptoms. If you don’t have a plan, you should not travel to Canada.

Only people who provide essential services, for example, truck drivers who regularly cross the border to maintain the flow of goods, are exempt from the quarantine requirements.

We hope this information is helpful. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them here.